Bamboo floors are flooring choices made from a bamboo plant. Bamboo is a type of hardened grass rather than a type of [hardwood](https://www.masterclass.com/articles/types-of-wood-flooring-explained). The manufacturing process for bamboo flooring products takes cylindrical, vertical bamboo stalks and turns them into horizontal bamboo planks closer to what you’d expect from normal hardwood flooring. Bamboo flooring products can add a contemporary look to your current home as a DIY home improvement project, or they can lay the foundation for an entirely new house’s decor.

There are two types of bamboo flooring: engineered and natural bamboo. Engineered bamboo flooring combines a top layer of bamboo with a plywood or similar type of base, whereas natural bamboo is just solid bamboo. To give it a darker tint, bamboo flooring can also go through a carbonization process, otherwise bamboo flooring looks closer to the natural, cork-like tint of bamboo stalks.
Hardwood floors are flooring options that come from hardwood trees, in contrast to wood flooring planks that come from softwood trees. Traditional hardwood floors come from wood species like pine, white oak, and red oak—each type has its own individual grain patterns, flooring installation costs, and so on. Hardwood types of flooring are solid wood and generally durable building materials. 

Solid hardwood flooring comes as both organic material as well as in an engineered wood style. The former is completely made of natural material, whereas engineered hardwood is a composite of the original hardwood with plywood. The installation method for hardwood can vary depending on your preference: some people glue down the flooring material with adhesives; others utilize a click-lock method for the side-by-side planks; and still others nail them down directly into a subfloor or underlayment.
When you’re picking a type of wood flooring, there are a host of things to consider. Here are five of the most important when it comes to the pros and cons of bamboo flooring and hardwood flooring options:

1. __Cost__: Bamboo flooring costs are usually cheaper than those for hardwood flooring, although it will depend on the individual flooring dealer. While bamboo can be more cost-effective overall, it’s still worth evaluating on a case-by-case basis.
2. __Durability__: Both hardwood and bamboo floors are incredibly durable, making them ideal for high-traffic areas in the home. You can determine this sort of durability through the Janka hardness scale—a scale that discerns the strength of wood by how well it sustains itself against a hard, steel ball pressed into it. The Janka hardness rating for bamboo is higher than for some types of hardwood and lower than for others. Both types of flooring will stand up well against dents, scuffs, and the like, but as far as duration goes, hardwood generally lasts more years than bamboo.
3. __Finish__: Hardwood and bamboo floors both come in a variety of finishes, and you will possibly need to refinish them at some point in their life cycle. As far as cleaning them between refinishing, both are better off with a mild soap mixture than with a heavy-duty wax cleaner. Either type is available as engineered or laminate flooring, but keep in mind the finish will change the way you should go about sanding or refinishing the wood in the future.
4. __Sustainability__: Bamboo is an eco-friendly, renewable resource, whereas hardwood can be harder to cut down, manufacture, and recycle in an environmentally conscious way.
5. __Water-resistance__: Top-quality bamboo flooring is slightly more moisture-resistant than hardwood flooring, partially due to the fact it originates in a rainier climate. That’s not to say warping and water damage can’t affect bamboo flooring options.
Master everything from color theory to pattern mixing with the [MasterClass Annual Membership](https://www.masterclass.com) and exclusive lessons from award-winning interior designers like Corey Damen Jenkins and Kelly Wearstler. From shopping for statement furniture to designing a lighting scheme to choosing the newest member of your plant family, the skills you’ll pick up are sure to make your house, apartment, or condo feel even more like a home. 
When it comes to deciding between using bamboo or hardwood for wood floors, it’s important to note the strengths, weaknesses, and similarities of these two types of wood flooring.

When it comes to deciding between using bamboo or hardwood for wood floors, it’s important to note the strengths, weaknesses, and similarities of these two types of wood flooring.

Bamboo vs. Hardwood: 5 Differences Between the Wood Floors

Bamboo floors are flooring choices made from a bamboo plant. Bamboo is a type of hardened grass rather than a type of <a href='https://www.masterclass.com/articles/types-of-wood-flooring-explained' target='_self' class='mc-text--link' data-mc-segment-trigger='true' data-mc-segment-event-type='Article Page Click' data-event-obj='{"textTag":"p","href":"https://www.masterclass.com/articles/types-of-wood-flooring-explained","linkCopy":"hardwood","category":null}'>hardwood</a>. The manufacturing process for bamboo flooring products takes cylindrical, vertical bamboo stalks and turns them into horizontal bamboo planks closer to what you’d expect from normal hardwood flooring. Bamboo flooring products can add a contemporary look to your current home as a DIY home improvement project, or they can lay the foundation for an entirely new house’s decor.There are two types of bamboo flooring: engineered and natural bamboo. Engineered bamboo flooring combines a top layer of bamboo with a plywood or similar type of base, whereas natural bamboo is just solid bamboo. To give it a darker tint, bamboo flooring can also go through a carbonization process, otherwise bamboo flooring looks closer to the natural, cork-like tint of bamboo stalks.

What Is Bamboo Flooring?

Hardwood floors are flooring options that come from hardwood trees, in contrast to wood flooring planks that come from softwood trees. Traditional hardwood floors come from wood species like pine, white oak, and red oak—each type has its own individual grain patterns, flooring installation costs, and so on. Hardwood types of flooring are solid wood and generally durable building materials. Solid hardwood flooring comes as both organic material as well as in an engineered wood style. The former is completely made of natural material, whereas engineered hardwood is a composite of the original hardwood with plywood. The installation method for hardwood can vary depending on your preference: some people glue down the flooring material with adhesives; others utilize a click-lock method for the side-by-side planks; and still others nail them down directly into a subfloor or underlayment.

What Is Hardwood Flooring?

When you’re picking a type of wood flooring, there are a host of things to consider. Here are five of the most important when it comes to the pros and cons of bamboo flooring and hardwood flooring options:<ol class="mc-m-4"><li class="mc-my-4"> 1. Cost: Bamboo flooring costs are usually cheaper than those for hardwood flooring, although it will depend on the individual flooring dealer. While bamboo can be more cost-effective overall, it’s still worth evaluating on a case-by-case basis. </li><li class="mc-my-4"> 2. Durability: Both hardwood and bamboo floors are incredibly durable, making them ideal for high-traffic areas in the home. You can determine this sort of durability through the Janka hardness scale—a scale that discerns the strength of wood by how well it sustains itself against a hard, steel ball pressed into it. The Janka hardness rating for bamboo is higher than for some types of hardwood and lower than for others. Both types of flooring will stand up well against dents, scuffs, and the like, but as far as duration goes, hardwood generally lasts more years than bamboo. </li><li class="mc-my-4"> 3. Finish: Hardwood and bamboo floors both come in a variety of finishes, and you will possibly need to refinish them at some point in their life cycle. As far as cleaning them between refinishing, both are better off with a mild soap mixture than with a heavy-duty wax cleaner. Either type is available as engineered or laminate flooring, but keep in mind the finish will change the way you should go about sanding or refinishing the wood in the future. </li><li class="mc-my-4"> 4. Sustainability: Bamboo is an eco-friendly, renewable resource, whereas hardwood can be harder to cut down, manufacture, and recycle in an environmentally conscious way. </li><li class="mc-my-4"> 5. Water-resistance: Top-quality bamboo flooring is slightly more moisture-resistant than hardwood flooring, partially due to the fact it originates in a rainier climate. That’s not to say warping and water damage can’t affect bamboo flooring options. </li></ol>

Bamboo vs. Hardwood Flooring: 5 Things to Consider

Master everything from color theory to pattern mixing with the <a href='https://www.masterclass.com' target='_self' class='mc-text--link' data-mc-segment-trigger='true' data-mc-segment-event-type='Article Page Click' data-event-obj='{"textTag":"p","href":"https://www.masterclass.com","linkCopy":"MasterClass Annual Membership","category":null}'>MasterClass Annual Membership</a> and exclusive lessons from award-winning interior designers like Corey Damen Jenkins and Kelly Wearstler. From shopping for statement furniture to designing a lighting scheme to choosing the newest member of your plant family, the skills you’ll pick up are sure to make your house, apartment, or condo feel even more like a home.

Ready to Give Your Space a Chic Update?

When it comes to deciding between using bamboo or hardwood for wood floors, it’s important to note the strengths, weaknesses, and similarities of these two types of wood flooring.

When it comes to deciding between using bamboo or hardwood for wood floors, it’s important to note the strengths, weaknesses, and similarities of these two types of wood flooring.
